Influential GABA neurotransmitter proven to control voltage-activated ion channels Researchers at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine have discovered the first example of a novel mode of neurotransmitter-based communication. The discovery, published in Nature Communications, challenges current dogma about mechanisms of signaling in the brain, and uncovers new pathways for developing therapies for disorders like...
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What helps form long-term memory also drives the development of neurodegenerative disease
Dublin, Tuesday 22nd May, 2018 – Scientists have just discovered that a small region of a cellular protein that helps long-term memories form also drives the neurodegeneration seen in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This small part of the Ataxin-2 protein thus works for good and for bad. When a version of the protein lacking this...
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‘Serendipitous’ use of antimalarial drug may have improved outcome for cancer patient
The case report discusses whether the patient’s autoimmune disease and its treatment could have contributed to achieving such a ‘striking’ response to treatment A cancer patient with advanced ovarian cancer had a “remarkable” journey to recovery that may be partially attributed to a treatment she received for a completely different disease, according to a case...
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Atomic-level study reveals why rare disorder causes sudden paralysis
A rare genetic disorder in which people are suddenly overcome with profound muscle weakness is caused by a hole in a membrane protein that allows sodium ions to leak across cell membranes, researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle have found. The voltage sensor has two cavities (purple) that do not connect. Mutations...
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Screening may miss signs of autism, especially in girls: study
(HealthDay)—An important checklist used to screen for autism can miss subtle clues in some children, delaying their eventual diagnosis. Researchers found that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, or M-CHAT, can fail to detect developmental delays that are tell-tale signs of autism in 18-month-olds, according to findings published in the June issue of the journal Pediatrics....
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Various clinical disturbances precede MS diagnosis
(HealthDay)—Various clinical symptoms precede the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) by several years, according to a study published online May 8 in the Annals of Neurology. Giulio Disanto, M.D., Ph.D., from the Neurocentre of Southern Switzerland in Lugano, and colleagues compared the occurrence of various symptoms in MS patients versus controls. Data from the U.K. Clinical...
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Reading the minds of pilots on the fly
After a plane engine blew apart at 32,000 feet in the air last month, the pilot flying Southwest Flight 1380 safely brought the Boeing 737 to an emergency landing in Philadelphia. Captain Tammie Jo Shults was heralded a hero, but a different flier may not have been able to respond as adeptly. A pilot study...
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Topical Skin Lotion to Detect Variety of Disease Biomarkers
Scientists at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a new way of utilizing nanotechnology to detect important biomarkers within the skin using what looks like a simple lotion. Their NanoFlares, which are spherical, programmable nano-scale balls of nucleic acid, have gold cores. These NanoFlares are able to penetrate the skin and meet up with biochemicals...
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Nanoparticles derived from tea leaves destroy lung cancer cells: Quantum dots have great potential
Nanoparticles derived from tea leaves inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells, destroying up to 80% of them, new research by a joint Swansea University and Indian team has shown. IMAGE: THIS IMAGE SHOWS A SIZE COMPARISON IN NANOMETRES OF A FOOTBALL, HUMAN HAIR AND QUANTUM DOTS, WHICH ARE LESS THAN 10 NANOMETRES. The team made the discovery...
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Receptor proteins that respond to nicotine may help fat cells burn energy
ANN ARBOR–The same proteins that moderate nicotine dependence in the brain may be involved in regulating metabolism by acting directly on certain types of fat cells, new research from the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute shows. IMAGE: ILLUSTRATION OF THERMOGENESIS IN MICE BEIGE FAT CELLS IN RESPONSE ACETYLCHOLINE STIMULATION Previous research by LSI research assistant professor Jun Wu and others identified a new...